- Nozipho joined The Mommy Club to help find her identity and passions.
- The mom of eight has been open about her past infertility issues and difficult moments in marriage.
- She has become close with fellow reality stars like Tshego Manche, Happy Simelane and Sorisha Naidoo.
Nozipho Ntshangase’s introduction to the second season of The Mommy Club felt like a breath of fresh air for many.
Her warm and welcoming nature pairs beautifully with her graceful presence with her family and among her fellow cast members.
When Happy ‘Her Majesty’ Simelane and Nozipho meet for the first time through their daughters Tiisetso and Coco’s friendship, viewers got to see a passionate and loving mother, wife and homemaker wanting more out of life.
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The mother of eight’s softness comes through during our conversation and she shares with TRUELOVE why she felt this was the moment to join the cast of The Mommy Club.
“I feel like Mummy Club came at the right time for me when I needed to do something for myself, something that uNozipho wants. But also at the same time, it also came at a worse time for me when literally I felt like my whole life was falling apart and it wasn't the right time to have cameras, it wasn't the right time to have my life be a spectacle. And then I just figured ukuthi if I'm going to do this, then I'm going to do it authentically. I just took a chance and said, ‘I'm going to trust God on this one’.”
Nozipho seems to be the perfect fit for the show since she’s been comfortable sharing her family life on her social media pages and YouTube and being open about her struggles with infertility.
Touching on what inspired her to share her infertility journey, Nozipho says, “I think actually that was the best time in my marriage while we were going through that. I mean, my husband, he wanted the children, I wanted the children. That's where we always had that common denominator and that we knew that we wanted the family to grow. So, when I was also doing my research while going through the infertility because I went everywhere in the world, not just South Africa. I mean, I spent months everywhere just trying to change doctors.
“So, I also started doing my own research on YouTube and I found little communities art of south Africa on YouTube that were sharing their journeys. So, for me I said some abantu abamnyama (Black people), we don’t want to speak about infertility … so I wanted to put it out there and say listen, I have had children biological children but I’m still struggling.”
The 38-year-old is open and candid about the ups and downs of life, much like on the show where she reveals she had her first child, a son named Luthando, with her husband at 18.
Opening up about what some of the difficult parts of life she’s been faced with recently, Nozipho explains, “I did go on the show to open up not just to people that are close to me but also to a mom that lived a life like mine where you were a homemaker for so long you didn't have a career for yourself, didn't have anything to your name and you just probably find yourself – not stuck but, when things don't go right emshadweni wethu (in our marriages) you just wonder where you're going to go because you have nothing and you don't have anything to your name. I’ve personally felt that, and I’ve never seen anyone pulling another woman up and saying … it's okay to think and put yourself first.”
Are you a morning person or night owl? A morning person.
What's the last book that you've read and stuck with you? Kevin Hart's I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons. I legit laughed, cried, all in one book.
Ideal holiday destination? I enjoyed my trip to Monaco. Stunning, I think I'm still there!
Favourite movie genre? Definitely comedy, I love laughing.
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Nozipho is still in the process of finding her identity and her passions outside of family life, especially as her children grow up and leave the house. Having completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and as someone who only knows giving so much of herself to others, she admits that she’s still figuring it all out.
“My dad and I had a plan growing up that I would go to medical school. That was the plan, and it took me a long time to accept that that plan won't happen,” she shares about her late father.
“So, for me it's just trying to take it one day at a time but I’m just starting now to figure out who I am outside of being a mother and a wife. So, it's just a phase that I’m in now of just discovering myself and my passion outside of just things that are that have to do with my children.”
Allowing herself to have an experience like The Mommy Club gave her the opportunity to build different friendships with the other moms, whether it’s talking family life with Ratile Mabitsela, bonding on a personal level with Tshego Manche or getting comfortable with Mpumi ‘Mrs Mops’ Mophatlane.
In a cross-over we never knew we needed, Nozipho shares that her and The Real Housewives of Durban’s Sorisha Naidoo got together for coffee, giving her what she says is the best piece of advice she’s received.
“I actually had coffee with Sorisha on Monday (4 March 2024) and she was just like, ‘Babe, do you. It's time to do you’. And I said, ‘I guess it's time’.”
